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Upton Park ahead of kick-off

Here’s the scene ahead of the game - we will be switching over to our matchday blog shortly!

17:20

Who should be in goal tonight?

This one is sure to drum up plenty of interest...

16:47

Revealed: The number of saves Mignolet has made this season

Liverpool’s No.1 pales by comparison - he’s made just 47 in total.

16:44

Murphy: Coutinho and Sturridge returns vital

Danny Murphy believes the return to fitness of both Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge will prove crucial to Liverpool against West Ham tonight.

Murphy is backing both to play key roles in a Reds victory.

He said...

“A really exciting game, I’m looking forward to it.

“Liverpool have failed to score in their last three games against West Ham and that’s a credit to their defensive stability.

“But tonight [Philippe] Coutinho and [Daniel] Sturridge are back - one of the most creative players they’ve got and their best finisher.

“I think Liverpool will beat West Ham tonight - 2-0.”

16:16

Beware Dimitri Payet

He’s poured cold water on reports linking him with a big-money move to China today and Liverpool will have to keep a close eye on him tonight, if this clip of him in training ahead of the game is anything to go by!

15:56Tom Marshall-Bailey-LE

Good afternoon!

Apologies about the brief delay, folks.

Let’s take a quick recap of some of today’s top headlines so far first here.

Substitution: Rimmer off - Marshall Bailey on

In my place will come a man whose shirt doesn’t sell in our club shop.... because his name is simply too expensive to buy.

It’s Tom Marshall-Bailey!

He will arrive shortly to keep you busy right through to the game tonight.

And I’ll be back, win or lose, at 7am. See you then/

15:03Joe Rimmer

I walked out of Anfield in protest because the big clubs hold fans in contempt

Great stuff, as always, from Brian Reade over at the Mirror.

He walked out with thousands of others on Saturday. Brian says he simply had no choice, and he also says that the fans have never before been fleeced to pay for a redeveloped stand.

Brian writes: “We’ve been bled so dry we’re suffering from anaemia. But not amnesia.

“In those 51 years I’ve seen all four Anfield stands re-developed but can’t recall the fans ever being fleeced to pay for it.

“Yet now, when eye-watering TV deals make ticket sales a decreasing slice of the profits, and the newest stand will entertain enough corporate guests to comfortably pay for itself, Liverpool’s American owners still chose to ask some fans to pay £77 for a seat, and to push the top season tickets through the £1,000 barrier.

Watch: Steven Gerrard pranks Galaxy team-mate

ON THIS DAY: Reds batter Ipswich as Xavier scores on debut

On this day back in 2002, Liverpool travelled to Ipswich and strengthened their title credentials with a 6-0 battering of Ipswich Town.

The game will be remember for Abel Xavier’s Liverpool debut, and goal. Well, by some people anyway.

I will remember it for an Emile Heskey masterclass.

09:55Joe Rimmer

Watch: Klopp on plans to stop Dimitri Payet

More video coming your way.

Does Jurgen Klopp have a plan to stop Dimitri Payet?

No. He doesn’t need one. Well, not really anyway.

09:22Joe Rimmer

"A chance to rewrite the script for Liverpool"

Excellent stuff today in our sister paper, the Daily Mirror, from The Anfield Wrap’s Gareth Roberts. He says Liverpool have now been given the chance to rewrite the script after taking heed of the fans.

He writes: “Liverpool could start swiftly reworking a story that has been trying to write out loyal supporters since the Premier League was born in 1992.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Liverpool is big enough to make the difference. To sell a different reality. To buck the trend and lead the way. That’s a club I want to support.

Carragher: Walking out wasn't nice - but it struck a chord

Carragher walked out with many fans on Saturday and, although he admits his wasn’t a “nice experience”, he says it struck a chord with the club’s owners.

Carra writes: “All this for the sake of £2m for the ninth richest club in the world! That would not make the slightest difference when it comes to negotiating for a player. If Jurgen Klopp wants to sign someone and the asking price is £2m more than Liverpool expected, will they miss out on the player? No. But £2m back in the pockets of fans? That would be huge.

“The club say that £77 gets you the best seat in the newest stand in the country but why should that be an elitist thing? Why can’t the normal working man have the chance to sit there? It isn’t fair.

Walking out, though, wasn’t a nice experience. The pictures you will have seen were visually striking — and they struck a chord with Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owners — but it wasn’t a happy atmosphere inside the stadium as fans argued with each other.

08:14Joe Rimmer

Watch: Klopp on the ticket protest

That was what Klopp said after his press conference yesterday afternoon. Here’s what he had to say to the cameras about the ticket protest:

08:13Joe Rimmer

Klopp: Liverpool's owners 'understood the sign' - now it's time for a compromise

Jurgen Klopp is a man of the people.

So when the fans are upset, he gets it.

The German boss was in hospital when fans were walking out of Anfield on Saturday, but he says that it’s clear that FSG understand the point the Reds fans were making.

He said: “I know Ian Ayre has already had some talks but we are in contact and that is very important. We are really interested in finding a solution and that is how it should be.

We should talk about this, with as many people as possible, and hopefully in the end find a solution that everyone can be satisfied with.

“It is really rare that you find a solution where everybody says ‘yes!’. You have to make compromises. That’s how it is.”

ECHO in print

Liverpool ECHO front page, Feb 9 2016

Liverpool fans have had their own problems with American owners, but it looks like there could be more stars and stripes on Merseyside very soon, as today’’s ECHO front-page displays the exclusive story from Greg O’Keeffe on Everton’s takeover.

American investors John Jay Moores and Charles Noell are now in advanced stage of talks about a deal, which could be completed in as little as two weeks.

The Reds dominate the back-page, with Klopp on the walkout and the return of key players ahead of the trip to West Ham.